Customer Engagemnt in the Digital Age - Yeah, It's a Challenge...

By Eric Cook

I have the privilege of speaking with community bankers from all around the country while "out and about" speaking at events and conferences. It's no surprise that my typical topics of conversation revolve around social networking, online strategy and the "next gen" of today's customer. As with society in general, the community bank customer is spending more time interacting with their banks via technology than in person, thanks to the conveniences of online banking, mobile apps, bill payment, cash management, etc. While this certainly creates convenience for the customer (and cost savings for the banks), a digital strategy is not without it's downsides - namely customer engagement.

Where Did the Customers Go?

They're still there, but banks need to be prepared to go "digital" and connect - which is something that may not be a very comfortable experience. Just a few years ago, bank lobbies were full of customers coming in to transact their business, whether it that meant cashing a check, making a deposit or getting cash for their business. We could walk up, start a conversation and get that valuable "face time" to help connect with the customer. However, now that we have technology to take care of most, if not all, of the typical in-office transaction needs, fewer customers are coming into the office and we need to figure out a different way to create the "face time" to stay top of mind.

BES Webinar: Learn Some Digital Engagement Ideas

If you'd like to learn more about ways to engage with the digital customer and put technology to work for your organization, join me October 29th at 3 pm Eastern when I welcome Joel Abramson, Director of Banks with Larky, for Episode 7 of my Banker Education Series webinars. We'll talk about ways that community bankers can put new technology and online solutions to work for them and re-connect with that mysterious animal known as the customer.